Containment

by Nizar Sartawi
(Amman, Jordan)

Nizar Sartawi

My sails are wandering aimlessly.
I’ve never thought my passion would be lost
for the sands of the shore
hidden in the grip of fate,
that the waves would rob me of my sensibility
the spray would capture my eyesight
my memory would go obscure
and all my nostalgia will melt
for swords and bridges,
for shops, for taverns and women,
for terrains,
fields
seasons
moons
and ancient monuments.
And I’ve never reckoned
as the engulfing hurricanes swooped on the boat
that I’d feel numb,
my limbs would shrink thus,
my features would be erased,
and I’d be contained by the moment of mist
the moment of presence
between the soaring of seabirds over my head
and the swirling of whales under my skeleton